


Akashi & Yukimaru

by bob2ff



Series: Miracles Hijinks [17]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 19:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1791265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bob2ff/pseuds/bob2ff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi Seijurou gets a horse. An Akashi character piece.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Akashi & Yukimaru

**Author's Note:**

> Written for BPS' Challenge 73 (Travel).

“A horse is a remarkably indulgent gift for our future child.” Akashi was adamant. Seijurou would be dutiful, and he would uphold the Akashi family name. A horse would mess everything up. It would distract him.

“But dear, think about it! Animals are said to inculcate a sense of responsibility in children. And horse-riding instils discipline!”

“...fine.”

So Seijurou got a horse. Beautiful, white and pristine, because the Akashi family went about doing things _properly_ , and if Seijurou were to get a horse, it would be one befitting of the Akashi class. No common, brown horses for the Akashi family.

Yukimaru became a lot more than a mere mode of travel for Seijurou.

“Seijurou is a very good, dutiful boy, but he has a tendency to keep to himself. When he leads, however, the other children follow. In fact, he has a slight tendency to be bossy.” Six-year-old Seijurou did not care about his teachers’ comments. 

All he wanted to do was ride Yukimaru, and play with Yukimaru. Yukimaru was always reliable. Yukimaru always followed his commands, faithfully. Yukimaru did not muck about the sandpit, or squabble over petty things like whose turn it was to ride the swing. Yukimaru was dignified. Yukimaru was Seijurou’s one true companion.

“Young Master Akashi, shouldn’t you be playing with your friends? Your father will be away for two weeks on business, so you should go outside and spend time with the other kids!” The servants were always misunderstanding. Ten-year-old Seijurou did not _play_ with other kids. The other kids followed _him_. They were always asking him to do this or that with them.

But none of them could sit still enough to play shogi, or chess. Every one of them thought he was _weird_ for liking shogi, or chess. Riding Yukimaru was much better. He never judged Seijurou. Yukimaru understood Seijurou. Riding Yukimaru, Seijurou could find a sense of peace, and understanding, and tranquility that playing with the other kids would never provide.

And then came basketball. The servants had been delighted. “Finally, Young Master Akashi is involving himself with other kids, playing with his friends!” His father, less so. “Should you be wasting time with such trivial pursuits? Aren’t there other, more practical things you could spend your time on?”

And then, “Do whatever you want. Just ensure that you achieve excellency in all areas, as befitting of the Akashi name.”

Basketball was fascinating. For the first time, thirteen-year-old Seijurou stopped riding Yukimaru every day. He had basketball practice now. He had strategies to plan, physical training to do. He didn’t need to ride Yukimaru anymore, no matter how nice it had been.

Seijurou was surprised to find that his new multi-coloured assortment of teammates provided almost as much amusement as Yukimaru ever did. Sure, they were hardly as reliable as Yukimaru ever was.

Aomine-kun, with his exhausting rowdiness. Murasakibara-kun, with his petulance and whining. Midorima-kun, with his punishing standards on himself and others. Kuroko-kun, with his unexpected stubbornness. Haizaki-kun, with his crudeness and crassness. And later, Kise-kun, with his constant peppiness.

But Seijurou found himself likingthem. They did not obey him as surely as Yukimaru did, but he supposed their obnoxiousness could be somewhat entertaining. Their trips to the convenience store to get popsicles, of all things. And their shared obsession for basketball. With them, basketball was fun. With them, this idea of ‘spending time with other kids’ did not seem like such a chore.

And so, Seijurou started playing shogi with someone else (he liked that Midorima-kun tried hard, even if he was still at a level below Seijurou’s). He rode Yukimaru less and less, only when he did not have basketball practice, or basketball training camps, or basketball anything. Only when none of his teammates could impose themselves on him or his time, which was not as tiresome as he thought it would be — that was when he rode Yukimaru. 

The way horses could, fifteen-year-old Akashi knew Yukimaru had sensed a change in him, when he went to ride him. Yukimaru seemed a little jittery, a little fearful. Akashi knew he was probably steering him more aggressively than usual. But he was frustrated. His teammates didn’t seem to understand. All that mattered was winning. 

Akashi knew then that this idea of ‘friends’ was a mere societal construct. Friends disappointed you. Friends let you down. And Akashi refused to be hurt. All there was, there were leaders, and and there were followers. And Yukimaru was a loyal follower, always following Akashi’s lead.

Yukimaru was the only reliable one. Akashi could not rely on anybody else. His teammates, or anyone. Akashi was the only absolute. And Yukimaru, his only dependable companion.

 


End file.
